How should Christians embrace easter along with the easter bunny, egg hunting etc. while and in some cases (if) maintaining a Christian lifestyle and celebrating the Resurrection? This is not an attempt to argue but to have an open mind trying to first understand why, and should we embrace it (Christianizing it), if so are we at all compromising, and/or diminishing the meaning and focus of Christ? In essence is this falling under serving two masters, and is this falling under living a double lifestyle, or letting yes be yes and no be no, etc.

I personally use to argue the whole pagan thing... I still don't fully understand but for now I suppose I can let it go. I also have heard the rebuttals love everyone, nothing is wrong with it, nothing innate evil in or of itself, its for the kids, its fun, its cute, etc. I still just can't seem to wrap my head around this. I heard embrace it, seize the opportunity, write scriptures on eggs, witness Jesus the time your there etc. I just don't know. Still seems like a bait and switch gospel almost, lure them in by any means necessary, just get them to the church, God will do the rest. Again, I just need some different insight trying to understand. Most of the people if not Christians that are throwing the egg hunt, are unbelievers that don't normally go to church, who won't blink or think twice, its just a thing to do and its at a church, its traditional etc. Yet I do honestly see opportunity that may have not been there before, but is it in vein (not saying Gods word returns void), and is this a compromise, to please the people... to paint the church with a tolerance or world-view to attract the world. I will stop here since I can sense I'm getting personal and may be already influencing the reader... I just need some perspective.

zacchaeus wrote:How should Christians embrace easter along with the easter bunny, egg hunting etc. while and in some cases (if) maintaining a Christian lifestyle and celebrating the Resurrection? This is not an attempt to argue but to have an open mind trying to first understand why, and should we embrace it (Christianizing it), if so are we at all compromising, and/or diminishing the meaning and focus of Christ? In essence is this falling under serving two masters, and is this falling under living a double lifestyle, or letting yes be yes and no be no, etc.

I personally use to argue the whole pagan thing... I still don't fully understand but for now I suppose I can let it go. I also have heard the rebuttals love everyone, nothing is wrong with it, nothing innate evil in or of itself, its for the kids, its fun, its cute, etc. I still just can't seem to wrap my head around this. I heard embrace it, seize the opportunity, write scriptures on eggs, witness Jesus the time your there etc. I just don't know. Still seems like a bait and switch gospel almost, lure them in by any means necessary, just get them to the church, God will do the rest. Again, I just need some different insight trying to understand. Most of the people if not Christians that are throwing the egg hunt, are unbelievers that don't normally go to church, who won't blink or think twice, its just a thing to do and its at a church, its traditional etc. Yet I do honestly see opportunity that may have not been there before, but is it in vein (not saying Gods word returns void), and is this a compromise, to please the people... to paint the church with a tolerance or world-view to attract the world. I will stop here since I can sense I'm getting personal and may be already influencing the reader... I just need some perspective.

Yes,things have gotten pagan...so since you brought up Resurrection Day here is an interesting article on this subject...

B. W. wrote:
Yes,things have gotten pagan...so since you brought up Resurrection Day here is an interesting article on this subject...

Things have gotten pagan? Isn't Easter a "Christianized" pagan holiday?
Look at when Easter is observed. Look at the origins of the word "Easter". It's a Christianized version of a pagan fertility observance.

1 Corinthians 1:99 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Audie wrote:
"Christianity is not a joke, but it has some very poor representatives."

RickD wrote:Look at when Easter is observed. Look at the origins of the word "Easter". It's a Christianized version of a pagan fertility observance.

In French and Spanish, the word Easter sounds like ''Passover''. Only an article distinguishes them. Transliterated, Passover would be The Passover and Easter is called Passover.

Now you know.

FL

FL, thanks for the language lessons, but Easter is still a Christianized pagan holiday. And FYI, Christ's resurrection was the Sunday after Passover. So the French really have the two confused. But, they're French, whadda you expect.

1 Corinthians 1:99 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Audie wrote:
"Christianity is not a joke, but it has some very poor representatives."

RickD wrote:FL, thanks for the language lessons, but Easter is still a Christianized pagan holiday. And FYI, Christ's resurrection was the Sunday after Passover. So the French really have the two confused. But, they're French, whadda you expect.

You mean the French and the Spanish...but that wasn't my point. In all fairness, I didn't state my point because at the time I didn't have one. I now have a point and it is this:

Passover is a shadow of Easter. Liberation from bondage in Egypt by miraculous means was a shadow of liberation from the bondage of sin, also by miraculous means. My secondary point is that French and Spanish reflect the link between Passover and Easter by calling these holidays The Passover and Passover respectively.

FL

Pee-Ess, Edit: Easter as it is now is a pagan celebration, of course. When I was 29 - when Napoleon Bonaparte ruled France - they played crucifixion movies on TeeVee at Easter but that's all in the past now. Such retrograde movies may still be available on U.S. networks but - as I've stated before - your nation is way, way behind the times. We are far more evolved! to wit: we have publicly funded abortions, soft-porn on daytime TV, legal gay marriage & adpotion by gays. We are moving towards legal euthanasia...you Americans really are in the Dark Ages!

Hold everything lightly. If you don't, it will hurt when God pries your fingers loose as He takes it from you. -Corrie Ten Boom

+ + +

If they had a social gospel in the days of the prodigal son, somebody would have given him a bed and a sandwich and he never would have gone home.

FL wrote:
Passover is a shadow of Easter. Liberation from bondage in Egypt by miraculous means was a shadow of liberation from the bondage of sin, also by miraculous means. My secondary point is that French and Spanish reflect the link between Passover and Easter by calling these holidays The Passover and Passover respectively.

The Passover is a foreshadow of Christ's atoning death. Not His resurrection, right?

With that said, Easter is pagan. The origins of the name "easter" are pagan. Easter is on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Can't get much more pagan than that. If we are going to pick a certain day to celebrate Christ's resurrection, then why not the Sunday immediately after the passover?

1 Corinthians 1:99 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Audie wrote:
"Christianity is not a joke, but it has some very poor representatives."

Not sure that how the word Easter sounds in other languages helps me nor addresses the question, but neato- thanks!!! I'm not questioning what their calling it, however what does the easter bunny and hunting eggs have to do with Jesus, or His resurrection? Sin is a distraction and satan is good at imitating and giving just enough truth with just enough poison to make something a lie. Not saying celebrating these things are sin, but they are distraction and draw from the focus of Christ- so again, I just simply don't understand. What Christian wants to do these things anyways? Silly, dumb, cost money... I just don't know!!!

RickD wrote:FL, thanks for the language lessons, but Easter is still a Christianized pagan holiday. And FYI, Christ's resurrection was the Sunday after Passover. So the French really have the two confused. But, they're French, whadda you expect.

You mean the French and the Spanish...but that wasn't my point. In all fairness, I didn't state my point because at the time I didn't have one. I now have a point and it is this:

Passover is a shadow of Easter. Liberation from bondage in Egypt by miraculous means was a shadow of liberation from the bondage of sin, also by miraculous means. My secondary point is that French and Spanish reflect the link between Passover and Easter by calling these holidays The Passover and Passover respectively.

FL

Pee-Ess, Edit: Easter as it is now is a pagan celebration, of course. When I was 29 - when Napoleon Bonaparte ruled France - they played crucifixion movies on TeeVee at Easter but that's all in the past now. Such retrograde movies may still be available on U.S. networks but - as I've stated before - your nation is way, way behind the times. We are far more evolved! to wit: we have publicly funded abortions, soft-porn on daytime TV, legal gay marriage & adpotion by gays. We are moving towards legal euthanasia...you Americans really are in the Dark Ages!

zacchaeus wrote:Not sure that how the word Easter sounds in other languages helps me nor addresses the question, but neato- thanks!!! I'm not questioning what their calling it, however what does the easter bunny and hunting eggs have to do with Jesus, or His resurrection? Sin is a distraction and satan is good at imitating and giving just enough truth with just enough poison to make something a lie. Not saying celebrating these things are sin, but they are distraction and draw from the focus of Christ- so again, I just simply don't understand. What Christian wants to do these things anyways? Silly, dumb, cost money... I just don't know!!!

Zacchaeus, you are an Easter Scrooge!!!! Bah Humbug!!!

I say, give the kiddies their eggs and candy. My favorite is the Reese's peanut butter eggs. Maybe the Easter bunny will leave me some in my basket this year.

1 Corinthians 1:99 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Audie wrote:
"Christianity is not a joke, but it has some very poor representatives."

RickD wrote:The Passover is a foreshadow of Christ's atoning death. Not His resurrection, right?

All I said was that the Passover is a shadow of Easter. You are free to split any hairs you like.

zacchaeus wrote:Not sure that how the word Easter sounds in other languages helps me nor addresses the question, but neato- thanks!!!

It doesn't address the question, Einstein! It just points out that Passover and Easter are linked; and, that link is more evident in some languages because the word used for Passover and Easter is one and the same.

B. W. wrote:But we got um - one sure hip Preseedentay...

Yes...I heard about Prez. Baroque Hussein Osama and His egg rolling thing. I guess Americans are more evolved than I thought! Please accept my apologies!

FL

Hold everything lightly. If you don't, it will hurt when God pries your fingers loose as He takes it from you. -Corrie Ten Boom

+ + +

If they had a social gospel in the days of the prodigal son, somebody would have given him a bed and a sandwich and he never would have gone home.

zacchaeus wrote:Not sure that how the word Easter sounds in other languages helps me nor addresses the question, but neato- thanks!!! I'm not questioning what their calling it, however what does the easter bunny and hunting eggs have to do with Jesus, or His resurrection? Sin is a distraction and satan is good at imitating and giving just enough truth with just enough poison to make something a lie. Not saying celebrating these things are sin, but they are distraction and draw from the focus of Christ- so again, I just simply don't understand. What Christian wants to do these things anyways? Silly, dumb, cost money... I just don't know!!!

Easter bunny with Jesus? IMO, nothing.

But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.
-- 1 Thessalonians 5:21

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
-- Philippians 1:6

The Easter bunny and Easter eggs have NOTHING to do with Christian Easter.
It's just that simple.
Just another way that non-believers can use a religious holiday as an excuse to do silliness, that's all.